This invention relates to food containers and applicators and, more particularly, to a container/applicator for dispensing a stick-shaped spreadable food item such as butter or margarine.
Traditionally, to apply butter to a piece of food a knife is used to cut the butter from the stick and spread it on the food. For food such as corn-on-the-cob, the butter has a tendency to slip off of the corn and knife while being spread. For other food, such as toasted bread, the pressure exerted by the knife may crush the bread or contact between the knife and bread may tear the bread.
To address these and other problems, a number of butter dispensing devices have been proposed. Bordwine, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,162,884 discloses a telescoping butter dispenser having inner and outer telescoping housing members and a multi-component plunger system for forcing the butter out of the dispenser. Inwardly projecting bosses are formed adjacent the dispenser outlet to prevent the butter from exiting the dispenser until sufficient force has been applied to extrude the butter past the bosses. To fully dispense the stick of butter, the user must change the plunger configuration when the butter has been partially dispensed.
Deitz U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,745 discloses a butter dispenser wherein a wire extends across the dispenser outlet. The wire serves to retain the butter in the dispenser until sufficient force is applied to force the butter around the wire so that the wire cuts the stick of butter in two.
There is accordingly a need for a butter dispenser which is simple to make and use, which adequately retains the butter within the dispenser and which does not significantly deform a stick of butter which is dispensed.